Seventh-grade Sikh student in Texas handcuffed, arrested after 'bully' accused him of carrying bomb in backpack

A seventh-grade Sikh student was arrested and handcuffed in front of shocked classmates after a "bully" accused him of hiding a bomb in his backpack — a claim his outraged family disputes.

Armaan Singh, 12, spent an entire weekend in juvenile detention after a classmate claimed the boy had a bomb in his backpack and threatened to blow up Nichols Junior High School in Arlington, a city of 380,000 people that neighbors Irving, where "clock kid" Ahmed Mohamed was arrested three months ago after his homemade clock was mistaken for an explosive device.

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"I thought it was a joke so I started laughing and he started laughing," Armaan told the Dallas Morning News following the Dec. 11 arrest. "The next thing you know, I'm reading with my friend and police come in, grab me and take me outside."

Armaan Singh, 12, claims a 'bully' was responsible for the bomb threat, but cops see it differently. (Dallas Morning News)

Armaan was arrested for making a terroristic threat, a felony. He is under house arrest and must wear an ankle monitor, according to the Dallas Morning News. Armaan, who has undergone three heart surgeries, was taken away in handcuffs, according to the paper.

"I was really scared, really nervous," said Armaan of the arrest.

Another unidentified student claimed Armaan told him he had a bomb in his backpack and would detonate it in the bathroom, said Lieutenant Christopher Cook of the Arlington Police Department. Armaan admitted that he made the joke after the classmate told him he thought a phone battery in his backpack looked like a bomb.

The following day, the classmate in the pre-AP history class said he was going to report him, he told the newspaper.

This goofball on the left in this picture is my 12 year old cousin, Armaan Singh Sarai. He was born and raised in Texas...

"I thought it was a joke, so I started laughing and he started laughing," Armaan told the newspaper. "The next thing you know, I'm reading with my friend and police come in, grab me and take me outside."

Authorities evacuated the classroom, which included 16 students and a teacher, until it was determined there was no bomb.

Armaan's family claims that it was the classmate who was behind the prank, but cops saw it differently. Lt. Cook said that the other student "became so frightened that he went to the nurse's office and was 'trembling.'"

Cops say Armaan made the first threat on Dec. 10, but it was never reported to the school or authorities. The boy made the threat again the next day, going into "more detail on how he would actually blow up the school," cops said.

A cousin of Armaan placed the blame solely on the "bully" classmate earlier this week. "It hurts my heart and boils my blood that there are people stupid enough out there not only accusing us, but our innocent children of being terrorists!" Ginee Haer wrote.